Witsel focused on Zenit despite near move to Juventus

On the heels of a deadline day move to Juventus that dissolved in the transfer window's final moments, Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder Axel Witsel admits the wheels haven't stopped spinning on his tenure with the Russian giant.

Witsel, who was in Turin finalising a move to the five-time defending Scudetto champ as a replacement for the departing Paul Pogba, witnessed the transfer fall through after Zenit failed to find a substitute for the Belgian international.

Related: Juventus' Witsel deal reportedly failed after Zenit's last-second U-turn

Still with Zenit until at least January, Witsel's poor run of form has coincided with doubts about his commitment to the club who sit third in the Russian Premier League after eight matches.

"Somebody is saying that I'm not playing well because I'm only thinking about Juve, but can people really think that?" Witsel told Le Championat, courtesy of Ben Gladwell from ESPN FC.

"This is hugely ridiculous and I've had enough," the 27-year-old Standard Liege product conceded.

"A lot has been said lately about me not joining Juventus and I would say things have been blown out of proportion too. There are even people saying that I'm the person to come to if you want to arrange a trip to Turin."

With a contract that expires in June, it's up to Zenit to decide if it fancies making a dime on its star midfielder in January or risk losing him for nothing in the summer.

While its doubtful Witsel doesn't have one eye on the future, contrary to popular belief, the Red Devil is giving his current gig his complete attention.

"I want to reassure everybody that this is not true. When I take to the field, I only think about Zenit."